Priorities
by Medie
Summary: Early morning moments between lovers. Trip/Hoshi romance


Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters of Enterprise, nor do I own the concepts of Star  
Trek, I'm just borrowing them for awhile.   
  
Category: Trip/Hoshi Romance. Possibly Alternate Universe  
  
Spoilers: None that I really know of.  
  
Priorities  
by M  
------  
  
At precisely 0600 hours - as always - the muted, insistent tones of the alarm clock began to chime,   
disturbing the sleep of the room's occupants, lying together in bed; causing one feminine hand to   
emerge from beneath the covers, punching down the 'off' button, silencing it.  
  
It's task complete, the hand returned to the warmth of the bed while its owner snuggled closer to her  
bedmate, drifting back through the layers of sleep.  
  
After some moments, the covers shifted, rustling with the movement of the man beside her as he propped  
himself up to stare groggily at the time.   
  
Seeing the hour, he groaned quietly in disbelief, letting his head fall back onto the pillow.  
  
"Hoshi..."  
  
A soft moan filtered through the mass of black hair resting on the pillow next to him. "What?"  
  
"Time to get up, darlin',"  
  
She shifted to rest her head on his bare chest, the feeling of her hair sliding across his skin quite   
pleasant. "I don't want to get up."  
  
"We go on duty at 0800." he reminded. "Can't stay here forever."  
  
"Why not?" She complained, rubbing her cheek against him. "I don't want to move. Ever."  
  
A chuckle rumbled through the chest beneath her ear. "Wish we could, darlin',but the Captain'll be a  
might bit annoyed if his Comm officer and Chief Engineer decide they wanna stay in their quarters for  
the rest of the mission."   
  
Hoshi yawned, cuddling closer. "It's your fault. You're too comfortable." She moved to rest her chin on  
him, grinning impishly. "Call Engineering and tell them you're sick."  
  
The mischievous look on her face brought a sleepy grin to Trip's. "And if I do?"  
  
She slid up along his body, kissing him languidly. It was all the answer he needed.  
  
Trip tangled a hand in her hair and pulled her in for another, deeper kiss. "Ain't right for you to be so  
damn temptin' this early in the morning." He murmured against her lips.  
  
She laughed and the sight of her made his breath catch in his throat. "God, Hoshi, you're beautiful."   
He told her without thought, trailing his fingertips along her jawline, eyes following the same path and  
lingering on her mouth.  
  
Hoshi blushed and dropped her gaze. "Flatterer."  
  
"It's the truth." He insisted earnestly. "You're the most beautiful woman I ever saw and there's no way  
I'm lettin' you convince me otherwise."  
  
She smiled, shaking her head. "You're bullheaded, Trip."  
  
"And you love it." He countered with an unrepentant grin.  
  
"I love you." Hoshi said softly, leaning down to kiss him again.  
  
When they parted, his grin was lopsided. "Love you too but we keep this up and we're gonna be late  
for our shifts."  
  
"So?" She teased, rubbing her nose against his. "Captain Archer won't mind. He knows about us."  
  
"He might not," Trip's grin widened. "But you wanna try to explain it to T'Pol?"  
  
She blushed deeply, picturing how *that* would play out. "I see your point."   
  
He slid his hands up along her slim arms, cupping her head in his palms. "Figured you might."   
  
Their mouths met again, moving together in the intimate and loving dance only those in love could truly  
manage. Their movements were slow, lingering, both taking pleasure in the simple act of sharing a kiss.  
  
Reluctant to pull away, they enjoyed a few, brief, feathersoft kisses before Hoshi moved back to look   
down at him, her dark eyes unreadable.   
  
"What?" He asked after several moments had passed. "Somethin' wrong?"  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "No. I...Sometimes I have a hard time believing this is real. Us, I mean."  
  
That confused him so he pushed himself upright, resting against the wall, pulling her close. "Why's that?"  
  
"I..." She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I never thought..." Her linguistic skills failed her as she   
searched for the right word. "Well...um..that...I don't know. I guess I never thought I was your..."  
  
"Type?" He supplied and she nodded gratefully. As he puzzled that over, his brow furrowed. "Darlin',   
I dunno where you got that idea but it ain't true. There's nothin' about you that I don't like." He grinned  
crookedly. "Even when you're second guessin' whether or not you can do something."  
  
Trip laughed as Hoshi's eyes widened in indignance and she smacked him lightly on the arm. "Seriously,  
Hoshi," he continued earnestly. "I love you. Never even thought about whose type you are or anythin'   
like that. Not for a second." He kissed her temple. "Not for a second."  
  
She smiled, her eyes suspiciously damp, then rested her head against his shoulder. What could she say  
in response to that? Nothing came to mind so she contented herself with the few stolen moments in his   
arms before they began their duties of the day.  
  
Likewise, Trip knew their conversation had ended for now and he turned his head to lean against hers.  
She was probably one of the best things that had happened to him in a long time and he'd take every   
moment he could get with her, whether it meant Hoshi trying to teach him languages he ended up   
butchering or him trying to convince her the warp engines were perfectly safe...didn't matter to him   
what it was. He loved spending time with her, that was all he cared about.  
  
He loved her.  
  
--------  
  
Trip was late arriving for his duty shift. Archer'd arrived in Engineering for a meeting with his Chief   
Engineer only to find he wasn't there. He was about to call his friend's quarters when the Southerner  
hurried into the room, still in the process of zipping up the front of his jumpsuit.  
  
"Sorry Cap'n." He said, quite out of breath.  
  
Jon laughed and waved off any further apologies. "Forget about it, Trip." He leaned closer. "Let me   
guess, Hoshi's running late too?"  
  
Tucker flushed slightly and nodded. "Yessir. One of those mornings I guess."  
  
"I hear you." They shared a chuckle before beginning their meeting, for a time, their conversation   
focusing on duty and not on their personal lives.   
  
When the time came, Archer had every intention of giving Trip hell for being late and for why he was   
late but, to be truthful, he couldn't be happier for them both. Trip and Hoshi were a surprisingly good  
match. Her nervous energy was tamed by his easygoing manner. His drive to plunge headlong into   
things was tempered by her instinct to feel things out. They balanced each other. They were good for  
each other. It had been a long time since he'd seen Trip this...settled. It was the best word he could use  
to describe it.   
  
They both were. They had 'the air' about them, the 'I'm in love' air that was totally unmistakable to   
anyone with a pulse. They thought they were hiding it but everyone knew. Everyone except T'Pol. She   
hadn't caught on yet but even she would soon.   
  
"Cap'n?" Trip's voice intruded into his thoughts, causing Archer to look over at him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You ok?"  
  
Jon smiled broadly. "Fine, Trip. Just fine. Let's get back to this. Wouldn't want to make you late for   
lunch. Don't want you in the doghouse with Hoshi."  
  
The other man chuckled. "Hell no. Lady's scarier then she looks. I miss lunch and I'm in for it."  
  
"Can't have that." After they laughed again, the captain sobered slightly. "She's good for you, Trip.   
Really good."  
  
"Don't have to tell me twice." The southerner smiled broadly. "She's great. And you're right. She's the  
best thing that ever happened to me."  
  
"Glad to hear it." Archer agreed with a nod. "Glad to hear it." Clapping his best friend on the shoulder,  
he turned to go. "Take an early day, Trip. Spend the evening with her."  
  
"Cap'n?"  
  
At Trip's questioning look, the other man smiled. "Don't let the job become everything. Make sure she  
knows she comes first. That's an order."  
  
The wide 'I'm in love' smile was back, his mind clearly on Hoshi. "Yessir."  
  
With a nod, the captain left Engineering, satisfied. Trip was a lucky man. He had it all. 


End file.
